Nut-lock.



N9. 874,773. PATENTED DEGLM, 1907. H. B. LAKE.

NUT LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13.1907.

HERMAN B. LAKE, OF RAPID RIVER, MICHIGAN.

NUT-LOOK.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1907.

Application filed April 13, 1907. Serial No. 867,966.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN B. LAKE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Rapid River, in the county ofDelta, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and. usefulImprovements in Nut-Looks; and I do here by declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appert ains to make and usethe same.

The present invention relates to improvements in nut locks, and it aimsto provide a simple, practical and effective device of that nature, bymeans of which a nut may be held in place upon a bolt, and, whentightened, be prevented from becoming loosened.

To this end, the invention, briefly described, consists of a platecarried upon the threaded end of the bolt, and provided with acorrugated outer face, a nut having the edges of its inner face providedwith grooves extending from side to side, and a U-shaped key interposedbetween the plate and nut and consisting of a pair of arms fitting inopposite seats in the nut, and a bight portion fitting in a third seatand provided with a corrugated innler face engaged with the corrugationson the p ate.

The invention will be readily understood from the following detaileddescription, and its preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which like parts are designated by corresponding referencenumerals in the several views.

Of the said drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the inventionapplied upon a bolt for clamping two fish-plates upon a track rail,thelatter and the fish-plates being shown in cross-section. Fig. 2 is afront elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the toothedplate carried by the bolt. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the nut. Fig.5 is an inverted perspective view of the locking key.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 7 designates the rails, 8the fish-plates, and 9 the bolts used in connection with the fish-platesand rails, each bolt being provided with a reduced threaded end 10.Carried by each bolt upon such end is a circular disk or plate 11, whoseouter face is provided with a series of radiating teeth 12, disposedadjacent the periphery thereof. The nut 13, which'is likewise fittedupon the threaded bolt end, has its 0 posite faces reduced so as to formseats 14 ocated on all four edges thereof, as shown, the seats extendingfrom side to side.

Interposed between the plate and nut is a locking-key 15, formed ofspring metal and approximately Ushaped, the bight portion 16, whichconnects the arms of said key being widened transversely and providedwith a series of radially-extending teeth 17, which are formed on itsinner face.

In operation the fish-plates are disposed in position on the rails, thebolts are passed through the rails and the fish-plates, and the plates11 are then disposed upon the reduced threaded portions of the bolts.The nuts are then screwed on the bolts and tightened thereon. Alocking-key 15 is then driven between each nut and the correspondingplate, the arms of the key fitting in the opposite seats 14 of the nut,and the bight portion 16 thereof in a third seat, the teeth '17 formedon the under face of the key lookin with the teeth 12 formed on theouter face of the plate 11, the resilience of the metal of which the keyis constructed permitting the portion 16 thereof to move slightly awayfrom the plate until the two sets of teeth can interlock. Owing to theengagement between the teeth of the keys and plates, and to the tensionof the key arms, it will be impossible to turn a nut thus fastened, thuspreventing a nut once tightened upon a bolt from becoming loosenedthereon. The length of each key is slightly reater than that of thediameter of the circu ar plate, and the distance between the inner facesof the key arms is slightly less than that between the inner walls of apair of opposite seats 14, so that the arms, when in place therein, willbe tensioned to a certain extent.

As above stated the resilience of the metal from which the key 15 isformed will permit the bight portion 16 thereof to move slightly awayfrom the plate durin the positioning of the key until the teeth formedupon the key and plate can interlock. This interlocking of the key andplate will prevent any rotation of the latter as the projecting ends ofthe arms will contact with the base of the fish-plate, the plate beingheld frictionally against the fish plate by the tightening of the nut13.

While the device has been illustrated in connection with fish-plates andtrack-rails, it is to be understood that it is susceptible of generalapplication. I

What is claimed, is

1. The combination, with a bolt having a threaded end, of a platecarriedsupon said bolt end, and provided with a corrugated outer face; anut having the edges of its inner face provided with seats extendingfrom side to side; and a U-shaped key interposed between said plate andnut, said key consisting of a pair of arms fitting in opposite seats insaid nut and a bight portion fitting in a third seat therein andprovided with a corrugated inner face engaged with the corrugations onsaid plate.

2. The combination, with a bolt having a threaded end, of a circularplate provided with a radially toothed outer face; a nut having theseveral edges of its inner face provided with seats extending from sideto side and a resilient U-shaped key interposed between said plate andnut, said key consisting of a pair of arms fitting in opposite seats insaid nut, and a transversely widened bight portion fitting. in a thirdseat therein and having a series of radially arranged teeth formed onits inner face for engagement with the toothed face of said plate.

In testimony whereof, I affiX my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

HERMAN B. LAKE.

Witnesses:

FRED E. DARLING, R. O. YOUNG.

